Paradoxical Intention for Insomnia

Status: Strong Research Support

Description

Paradoxical intention is a cognitive technique that consists of persuading a patient to engage in his or her most feared behavior. In the context of insomnia, this type of therapy is premised on the idea that performance anxiety inhibits sleep onset. Paradoxically, if a patient stops trying to fall asleep and instead stays awake for as long as possible, the performance anxiety is expected to diminish; thus, sleep may occur more easily. In clinical practice, some patients are fairly reluctant to use this procedure, and compliance is often problematic. Sleep restriction therapy, a similar technique with a different rationale, may be more readily accepted by patients.

Training Opportunities

The Sleep Research Society Trainee Manual provides a variety of resources on training opportunities in basic clinical sleep research and sleep medicine. To access all trainee resources, click on ‘Show All Trainee Programs’ from the following link: http://www.sleepresearchsociety.org/TraineeManual/index.aspx